Factors influencing the choice of drug treatment – a survey study for Finnish physicians

Background Prescriptions are increasing year by year, but little research has been done in Finland on the factors influencing medication decisions. The aim of the study was to examine the factors influencing the drug treatment decisions of Finnish physicians in different sectors of work.

Methods The survey data includes 1672 respondents to the survey ‘Factors influencing decisions in drug treatment’ which was carried out in the spring of 2021 (response rate 21 %).

Results  The effectiveness of the medication and familiarity to the physician were the two most important factors, followed by Current Care Guidelines, other treatment recommendations and the availability of the medicine from the pharmacy, which were rated as the most important factors across different sectors. Marketing by pharmaceutical companies and the environmental impact of medicines were rated as the least important factors. The importance of the efficacy and safety of the medicine were taken by default and not evaluated separately.

Conclusions Finnish physicians' choice of medication is influenced by a number of factors, partly depending on the sector of work, but the most important factor independent of the work sector is the effectiveness of the medical treatment.

Sara Torkkola, Niina Karttunen, Johanna Jyrkkä, Hanna-Mari Jauhonen